“Design meetings are like first dates. You have to be on point, to listen and to wow every time.”

The son of a fashion designer, James was inspired and surrounded by design from an early age. After traveling and working around the U.S. and the world, and with more than a decade of design experience under his belt, the desire to drive the creative vision of his own firm led him to launch Morrissey Design in 2010, and seven years later to form M Architects.

James holds a Master of Architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from Philadelphia University. He studied for a year in Rome, Italy; worked at the Netherlands Architecture Institute in Rotterdam and directly with renowned architect Riken Yamamoto and the Dutch government, gaining immeasurable exposure to modern European design and urban planning. The high-design climate of Miami attracted him to the South Florida, where he spent several years completing residential and commercial projects along the Gold Coast before moving to Philadelphia to work at Varenhorst Architects. This combination of regional influences and diverse building types inspires his energetic yet always thoughtful approach.